Sen Genshitsu, a would-be kamikaze pilot who became a Japanese tea ceremony master preparing cups of matcha for world leaders and monarchs, died aged 102 on Thursday, reports said.

With a motto of "peacefulness through a bowl of tea", Kyoto-born Sen used ancient "Urasenke" tea tradition rituals to spotlight his anti-war messages.

The United Nations headquarters in New York and the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii -- the scene of a devastating Japanese attack that brought the US into World War II -- were among the locations for his ceremonies.

His death was reported by major Japanese media, including the national broadcaster NHK and the top-selling newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.

AFP could not immediately reach the Urasenke school for comment.

Born in 1923, Sen went through tra

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